I really had no intention of turning this weekly update into a once-every-three-weeks affair, but sometimes life just gets more life-y and blogging takes a back seat. Even fiber activities have to occasionally yield their allotted time and space to Other Things, apparently (it was a nasty surprise for me, too).

In any case, here I am, back again after a long time away from the list... and with only a little progress to show for the hiatus.

One less project on this incarnation of the list for WIPs and UFOs; I managed to bind off the shawl I'd started for plane and travel knitting. And, in a moment of feeling virtuous, I cast on the second January Sock-- so maybe I'll have two of those, some day. I've been feeling very sweater-ish lately, though (not the Magnanimity Cardigan, don't be silly) and fully anticipate that the sock will once again take the back burner. As for Mom's socklettes, I'm running into gauge issues-- I'd ripped and re-started because they were much too loose, but now I'm finding that my handspun (spindle spun BFL) is turning out two very different-sized socks. I think it's because I spun it into two separate skeins instead of one skein then divided into half. Also, I'm thinking about running it through my wheel to increase the ply... which would necessitate ripping a third time, and I'm not sure the yarn will stand for that. Hmmm.

Fewer of these than before; I actually started the Lucy Hat in California, and mitts for Devin out of SHELTER, and realized that I wasn't as attached to either of the projects as I had been when I'd put them on the list. Lesson learned-- when a burning passion to knit something comes over me, waiting for many months can mean waiting it out. Devin still wants green mitts, but I'll find a different pattern for them, and I may or may not ever knit the Lucy Hat. I did add one thing to this portion of the list, though: a nook cover. I recently discovered that Devin's been carrying hers around in one of her knit hats, and I've got some textured handspun that needs assigning.

Remember I'd said I was feeling sweaterish of late? A part of that is Amy Herzog's fault. I took her Craftsy class, and then her book came from Amazon last week, and now I want to Try All The Things. Of course, she advocates sweaters with seaming and I have trained myself to never even consider sweaters with seaming, so choosing a pattern has been hard... in fact, the last time I made this list I mentioned two patterns under consideration, and one of them isn't seamed! Anyway, I was tossing yarn around like a mad woman, and rediscovered a sweater's quantity that I bought last year, and it should (yes, you can start laughing now) get gauge for Anne Hanson's Bel Air, which is seamed. I'm keeping the socks on this list even though I've got five (or six) pairs languishing already. I prefer to think of it as optimism, not insanity, if you're curious.

That sea of garter stitch blocking on my floor is the Line Break shawl that got knocked off the WIPs list this time around. I'll have more to say about it when it's not imitating a rug, but for now: (1) short rows are totally enough to keep me amused while knitting what is otherwise a garter stitch rectangle, (2) weaving in ends in garter stitch is Not Fun, Not My Favorite Thing, and, incidentally, Not Something I'm Good At, and (3) blocking wires are worth their hype.

"I prefer to think of it as optimism, not insanity, if you're curious." LOL..sorry, this post has left me giggling...it seems like you've got a lot of things scattered about...a bit of chaos knitting! hmm, could make for some interesting ideas!

I'm thinking about offering a "finishing unfinished socks" service, LOL. That way we'd both have the satisfaction of knitting new patterns without having to do both socks ... and there'd be some FOs to boot :)